Solve For X
by misnglinke
Summary: The continuation of Problem Solving, picking up 16 years later. I recommend reading Problem solving if you haven't, otherwise some things will not make sense. There are a couple of original characters who figure prominently in the story, Charley of course and maybe one or two more.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **There is a ginormous time jump from the end of Problem Solving to this chapter, 16 years to be exact. There will be time jumps back and forth to tell the story of what happened in those 16 years. I'm trying an experiment with the flow, there will be flashbacks within flashbacks. I'll mark the dates in the hopes it doesn't get too confusing.**

 **Read, review, let me know if its working...**

 **I own nothing but the mistakes.**

 **May 10, 2033**

"Emma, please go find your sister and," Rolling her eyes, Lauren knows what the next words out of Emma's mouth will be, "do not ask which one. You know."

"But Ren." Sixteen year old Emma whines; Charley is not her responsibility, not today.

"Go." Is all Lauren says as she points down the hall to Charley's favorite place at Riverrun. "Your mother will be here any minute and we need to be ready."

Sent on a mission, Emma wastes no time huffing her way to the room made of glass, "Charlotte Elizabeth Dennis!" ringing through the house as she goes.

Emma calling her whole name reaches Charley's ears in record time, but she ignores it. She is lost in thought, running the lock Ren gave her to ease her worries, back and forth on its chain. On this big day, this important day, all she can think about are the choices she's made to get here, to get to this point in her life. Did she make the right ones? Was she ready for this next step? Was she ready for this life she chose?

"Charley, you'd better be ready or Ren is going to throttle both of us ." Emma yells out as she enters the room made of glass only to find it empty. Mumbling "Dammit Charley.", under her breath, she beelines straight for the stairs to the second floor, stomping as she goes. Heading towards what used to be her Momma's studio, Emma finds Charley standing at the floor to ceiling windows, hands on her hips, head tilted back, eyes closed, biting her bottom lip. If Emma didn't know better she'd swear she was seeing her Momma 20 years ago. Plopping down on the couch in the corner, "Charley? What are you doing up here?"

Turning to her sister, Charley smiles sadly, "Just thinking."

Rolling her eyes as she kicks her feet up on a nearby table, "Well you'd better hurry up your thinking. Ren is on a rampage. You know how she gets if there is even the hint of being late."

Moving away from the windows to sit beside her sister, Charley throws her arm around Emma's shoulders, "I know, but it's my day and if I want to be late, I'll be late."

"Be sure to tell Ren. I don't think she got the memo."

Before Charley can respond, Bo arrives in a rush popping her head in the studio door, raising her eyebrows at her daughters, "What are you girls doing? Are you ready?"

Caught, they nod in unison, "Yes Momma."

Waving her hand in a hurry up motion, "Come on then, let's go. Ren and Maddie are waiting."

XXXXXXX

Bouncing in the hard fold out chair, much like her 6 year old self would have, Charley is ready for this ceremony to be over. Enough talking already, give me my sheepskin and let me out of here, the only thought running through her head. Looking around the auditorium, she spots her parents, all three of them, her Momma, Ren and Dyson, all with proud smiles on their faces. She sees Emma looking bored and eleven year old Maddie sitting so close to Ren she was practically on top of her, waving her heart out. Waving back, as a slow smile creeps across her face. Even when she was feeling blue or anxious or uncertain, as she was today, Maddie always brought a smile to Charley's face.

Thinking back to that Christmas morning all those years ago when she heard Emma's heartbeat for the very first time, she relives the wonder of that moment. She had been working towards this day ever since: today she was graduating from the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn's medical school. Charley was finally a doctor just like her Ren…. well, almost. She had several long, hard years ahead of her before she could even begin to think she was in the same realm as Lauren and she was having doubts. Doubt she was smart enough, strong enough, dedicated enough to be a doctor in more than name only; physicians as talented as Dr. Lauren Lewis, her Ren don't grow on trees. Doubt was what had her thinking this morning, thinking maybe it wasn't too late to go to law school and be a lawyer like her Aunt Kenzie. Momma wouldn't be too upset. Ren though, she'd be devastated.

Sighing as she hears her name called, Charley rouses herself from her thoughts and crosses the stage to receive her reward for four long years of hard work and perseverance. Standing with the rest of her class, reciting the Declaration of Geneva, the oath graduates of Perelman Medical School recite on the day they become members of the medical profession:

 _I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;  
I will give my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due;  
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;  
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;  
I will respect the secrets which are confided in me, even after the patient has died;  
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession;  
My colleagues will be my brothers;  
I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient;  
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from its beginning even under threat and I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity;  
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor._

Charley sees Lauren mouthing the words along with the class and remembers that cold day in February more than 15 years ago when she had breakfast at Tiffany's for the very first time, declaring she would one day win the Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences, as Lauren had the evening before. The memory of Lauren's tears making the hard work of the last 8 years as an undergrad and med student almost worth it…..almost.

XXXXXX

Charley didn't want a big party to celebrate her graduation from medical school, just a small gathering at Riverrun with her moms, her sisters, her Dad and her family's closest friends. She was watching Tamsin, Vex and of course her favorite aunt, Kenzi, affectionately dubbed AK when Charley was little, sit around the outdoor tables by the pool, talking animatedly and sipping cocktails. As she anxiously waited for Byron Stein, her best friend since she was six to show up, secretly hoping he'd bring his older sister, Dana along, Charley checked her phone for the millionth time, hoping to see a text or something from Byron. Dana being Charley's biggest and longest crush, she wanted to be properly prepared if she was coming; she wanted to squeal with delight at a text, not Dana's face. Charley had been longing for more than a casual friendship with Dana since coming back to Philadelphia from Geneva more than ten years ago, but Dana was clueless. Charley wanted to change that, but in the proper way, not by squawking like a silly schoolgirl at her arrival. She was a doctor now after all, not an adolescent.

It was warm for the end of May in Pennsylvania, turning Charley's graduation gathering into a pool party, much to her delight. As Charley lay in the sun, feeling its warmth on her face, a shadow falls across her. Opening her eyes, she wants to see the lithe figure of Dana Stein in a bikini top and board shorts, but instead sees Lauren with a smallish, rectangular box in her hand and a nervous look on her face, "Hey Ren, What's up?"

"Come inside with me a minute Charley." Indicating the box in her hand, "I have something for you."

Curious about the rectangular box and the anxious demeanor of her Ren, Charley stands and follows Lauren inside, trailing behind her as they head for the room made of glass.

Sitting on the couch next to each other, Lauren lays the box in Charley's lap, "Your graduation present."

"I told you and Momma both, no presents. Having you as my cheerleader through the last four years is enough." Despite her protest, Charley opens the box, her mouth dropping open when she sees what is inside.

Taking the item out and holding it up, Charley hears Lauren explain, "I had the tubing replaced with your favorite color, purple and the ear pieces are new, and I had the bell engraved, but this is the stethoscope my parents gave me when I graduated from medical school. The stethoscope I used to listen to your heart the very first time we met."

Lauren trails off as she watches tears spring to Charley's eyes as she handles the stethoscope.

"Oh Ren, I don't know what to say. I…", Charley rubs her finger over her name engraved in the bell, _Charley Dennis MD_.

Looking anxiously into Charley's eyes, "I didn't know if you'd want a brand new one or…."

Throwing her arms around Lauren, Charley sniffles against Lauren's neck, "I love it. Thank you Ren, I love you so much."

Hugging her special girl to her chest, this unexpected and delightful daughter, all grown up and ready for the world, "I love you too, Charley."

Leaning back, still holding the stethoscope, Charley chuckles as she looks up and into Lauren's eyes glistening with tears, "What if I hadn't made it? What if I had failed?"

Placing her hand on Charley's cheek, "The thought never crossed my mind. You're a brilliant woman Charley and you'll be a brilliant doctor."

Leaning in for a hug and laying her head on Lauren's shoulder, "I hope you're right."

Squeezing Charley tight, "I am. Haven't you heard, I'm never wrong."

Hearing her hero, her Ren say she'd make a brilliant doctor washed away all of Charley's doubts, the worry and uncertainty from the morning gone in a rush.

XXXXXXXXX

Back in her lounge chair by the pool, waiting for Byron to show up, Charley's mind wanders, taking a walk through her childhood memories…..

 **May 10, 2022**

"Charlotte Elizabeth Dennis what are you supposed to be doing at the moment?" Standing and tapping her foot, arms crossed, Bo was at her wit's end with her 14 year old. Usually a model child, Charley was giving her mothers fits the past few months as their time in Geneva drew to a close.

Rolling her eyes like a pro, "Packing."

"Then why are you laying on the floor of your sister's room?"

Rolling onto her back as she shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I guess I don't want to pack."

Piping up with her two cents, 5 year old Emma closes a box of books and in her best big girl voice, "I'm packing Momma," reaching for the list Lauren gave her and handing it to Bo, "See, I have my list all checked off." Pointing to each item, "Books, done. Stuffed animals, done. Experi-" sounding out the word in her head before saying it, "Experiments, done. Assorted toys, done. Drawings, done." Looking at Bo expectantly, Emma waits for her Momma's approval.

While Charley looked as if Bo spit her out, Emma was a different story. The reddish blond hair she had been born with morphed into honey and was as straight and smooth as Charley's was curly. Early on it was apparent Emma had inherited the Lewis family's brains, reading the newspaper with her Ren by the time she was 3; Emma had Lauren's eidetic memory and knack for science. If it wasn't for her artistic talents, one would think Lauren had been the birth mother. Bo's talent lay in the abstract but Emma was all about the details. At five she was already copying human anatomy drawings from Lauren's books with pinpoint accuracy.

Smoothing her hand over Emma's blond hair as she takes the list, Bo thanks her youngest, "Good job Emma. Why don't you take a break and go downstairs. Ren is in her office and I feel certain you can convince her to get you a snack. Momma needs to talk to Charley."

Nodding her head and tucking her favorite book, There's No Place Like Space under her arm, Emma waves at Charley and goes off to find her Ren.

Kneeling down and reaching her hand out to tuck a strand of Charley's unruly curls behind her ear, "I know you are not happy about leaving and going back to the States, but Ren's time here is done Charley. She is going back to Philadelphia and we are going with her, as a family."

Sitting up and running her lock back and forth on its chain nervously, "I know Momma, but I don't know any of those Philadelphia kids anymore."

Sitting on the floor to be on her daughter's level, "Yes you do. What about Byron? He's your best friend even though he's in the States. We're going to be in the same building, same apartment, same neighborhood, all of that is the same as before we came here. The kids will have grown up, just like you did but," Holding her arms out, "It will be alright Bear."

Crawling into her Momma's lap, even at 14 Charley needs the reassurance of her mother's arms, "I guess. If you say so."

Holding Charley tight and kissing the top of her head, Bo sighs, "I know so baby. I know so."

 **One Week Later, May 17 2022**

Directing the movers with utmost precision, Lauren stands in her empty living room, spreadsheet in hand, checking to make sure everything was loaded and accounted for before moving to her office. Her eyes moving from the spreadsheet to roam the empty room, she sees Bo through the window talking with Tamsin on the front lawn. Tamsin had come with them when they moved to Geneva, serving as Lauren's assistant; slash anything and everything Lauren or Bo needed.

Sighing, she makes her way to her office. If truth be told, she was about as thrilled as Charley to be moving back to Philadelphia. She accomplished what she set out to by coming to Geneva and she was being sent back to the States to run their counterpart program; she was looking forward to the science, but not the politics. All she wanted to focus on was the project and she'd have little time to do that in the States with all the red tape and regulations associated with genetic research. Particularly her research: genetic engineering.

Sitting at her empty desk, the files and paperwork had been packed for days, she kicks her feet up as she ponders this latest move in her career. She had become the preeminent authority on genetic engineering over the last five years. She and her team had made great strides, solving complex problems as if they were equations a second grader could handle. She was proud of herself and her team, but success had come at a high price, a price she didn't want to pay. She was hoping the move back to the States would prevent her from having to pony up the cost and she was, simply, terrified it wouldn't.

Knowing someone is a workaholic and actually living through it are two completely different things. A lesson Bo learned shortly after they arrived in Geneva. She was used to Lauren spending long hours at the lab, but Geneva was a whole new story. She'd go days without seeing her, sometimes at particularly crucial moments in the testing process, weeks. There were times Lauren had been gone so long when Emma was an infant, she would stare at her as if she were a stranger, crying when Lauren would pick her up.

Recalling their most recent fight, the one that prompted this move Lauren hears Bo's words of ultimatum ringing in her ears.

 _December 2021_

 _As soon as she said the words, she regretted them, but much like a science experiment gone bad, she couldn't take them back or erase her error. All she could do was take what Bo had to dish out and then try again._

" _It may be," making air quotes with her long fingers, Bo was having a hard time keeping her cool, "just art' to you, but to me it is my life's work and I need your support right now. Not next week or next month or whenever your," using her long fingers again for air quotes, "project' is done or at a point where you can be spared," closing her eyes to suppress the hot tears she feels forming, "I need you now. I need you," tapping her finger on the island between them, "here, today, or we, Charley, Emma and I won't be here," again tapping her finger on the island, "tomorrow. It's that simple." Turning on her heel, Bo walks away leaving Lauren to consider life without her wife and children._

 _Yelling at Bo's back, "You are so frustrating!"_

 _Spinning at Lauren's words, jabbing her finger at her own chest, "I'm frustrating, I'm frustrating?!"_

 _Closing the gap between them, "Yes. Everything is black or white with you. Either I'm in or I'm out. Nothing in between. When did that happen?" Lauren reaches out to take Bo's hand, thinks better of it and lets her arm drop, " When did being us become so hard?"_

 _Not giving an inch, Bo crosses her arms, "I don't know, I guess it happened while you were at your lab."_

 _Hanging her head, "Real funny Bo." Looking up and into Bo's eyes," Everything I do, I do for you. I work hard for you and Charley and Emma. So I can…"_

 _Bo cuts her off, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare say you spend days away from us…. for us. To provide for us or whatever you were going to say. I don't buy it Lauren." Shaking her head and frowning, "Not for a minute." Shrugging her shoulders, "I can provide for all of us. My career has taken off since we've been in Europe. My work is in greater demand now than it ever was when we were in the States, which is why I need your support. If I wanted to be a single parent, I would have been. You know I don't like leaving Charley alone with Emma at night, which is why I am asking you to stay home with them while I meet with a client." Tapping her foot, Bo sees the conflict in Lauren's eyes, but she has no sympathy. Lauren better make the right choice._

 _Hesitating as a plan forms, she has to be at the lab tonight, absolutely has to, "How about Tamsin? She'll come stay with them, no problem. She's right down the street."_

 _Sighing as she shakes her head, "Wrong answer, Lauren." Bo turns and walks away as Lauren reaches for her, coming away with nothing in her hands but air. Lauren feels the burn of tears as they form in the corners of her eyes, she couldn't tell Bo why she had to be at the lab tonight, they had fought about that too. Seems like all they did of late was fight. If Lauren said the sky was blue, Bo would say it was green, that's how far apart they had grown. She had to fix it, she had to fix them and the answer was at her lab._

Shaking her head as she hears the movers clopping down the hall towards her office, Lauren stands from her desk, ready to direct traffic. She ended up following Bo as she walked away after their epic fight, quickly rearranging things at the lab so she could stay with the kids; the thought of not having her family too much to bear. Only buying herself an extension, not really resolving the problems she and Bo were having, but it was enough to give her hope.

What she didn't tell Bo, the secret she was holding back, the reason she had to be at the lab that night: She had succeeded where so many others had failed. The reason she was brought to Geneva had come full circle, she had successfully brought a gorilla fetus to term using three genetic parents: two female and one male. She had scheduled the delivery for the night in question and she desperately wanted to be there when the fetus was delivered, re-scheduling the delivery was the right answer, the hard choice.

It didn't occur to her to wonder why it was such a hard choice; it should have been an easy choice. Too caught up in the science to see.

Readying herself to head upstairs to continue directing the movers, Lauren is lost inside her head, going over the details of the results of her research. Something she's been doing more and more the past few months…

A healthy infant gorilla, female in fact was delivered without complications the day following her big blow up with Bo. The only difference between this infant and her older siblings was she was the result of two female parents. She had no genetic abnormalities, no disease, no issues of any kind: she was perfect.

Six months later, the infant gorilla was right on schedule with her development as Lauren and her family prepared to move. Flower, the name given her by the veterinary care taker assigned to her case, would be staying in Geneva as Lauren was leaving with a secret. A secret she wasn't sure she'd be able to share with Bo.

 **As always, thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N It's a bit short, but the story continues...  
**

 _Previously_

 _What she didn't tell Bo, the secret she was holding back, the reason she had to be at the lab that night: She had succeeded where so many others had failed. The reason she was brought to Geneva had come full circle, she had successfully brought a gorilla fetus to term using three genetic parents: two female and one male. She had scheduled the delivery for the night in question and she desperately wanted to be there when the fetus was delivered, re-scheduling the delivery was the right answer, the hard choice._

 _It didn't occur to her to wonder why it was such a hard choice; it should have been an easy choice. She was too caught up in the science to see._

 _Readying herself to head upstairs to continue directing the movers, Lauren is lost inside her head, going over the details of the results of her research. Something she's been doing more and more the past few months…_

 _A healthy infant gorilla, female in fact was delivered without complications the day following her big blow up with Bo. The only difference between this infant and her older siblings was she was the result of two female parents. She had no genetic abnormalities, no disease, no issues of any kind: she was perfect._

 _Six months later, she was right on schedule with her development and healthy as they came. Flower, the name given to her by the veterinary care taker assigned to her case, would be staying in Geneva, but Lauren was leaving with a secret. A secret she wasn't sure she'd be able to share with Bo._

* * *

May 17 2022

Waiting for the movers to finish with both Charley and Emma's bedrooms, Lauren ponders her secret. The secret she kept from Bo, the one she is taking with her from Geneva. The reason for secrecy fresh in her mind.

 _Heading home in a rush, Lauren is beyond the moon with excitement. She had achieved the ultimate prize in genetic engineering: a viable pregnancy, 129 days into gestation, half way through the 259 days it takes to get to full term and so far it was proceeding with text book accuracy. She was one step closer to fulfilling her deepest and most private wish. Bubbling over with joy she can't wait to share the news with Bo._

 _Shaking her head in confusion, Bo needs more information, "You did what, exactly?"_

 _Speaking in a rush, "Remember when I came home from Minnesota all those years ago and I told you about the bats and fertilizing an ovum with genetic material from 3 different donors? Two female and one male?"_

 _Bo vaguely remembered the conversation, if she recalled correctly she was more interested in getting Lauren out of her clothes than what she was talking about, but she nods in the affirmative, "Yeah."_

 _Bobbing her head enthusiastically and waving her hands around with a broad smile on her face, "I made the leap to primates 1 year and 7 months ago. And the most important part, 129 days ago a fertilized ovum was implanted in an adult, female gorilla and she is half way through a viable pregnancy with absolutely no complications and the fetus is developing perfectly." Reaching out with both hands to grasp Bo's shoulders, "Isn't that exciting?"_

" _Uh, I guess?"_

 _Not exactly the response she anticipated, Lauren dips her head and wrinkles her forehead, "What's wrong Bo? This is the breakthrough I've been working on for the last 4 plus years. I thought you'd show more enthusiasm."_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, "I'm enthused."_

 _Dropping her hands and rolling her eyes, the excitement she had been feeling gone, "You could have fooled me."_

 _Pursing her lips, "I'm not like you Lauren; I can't see only the science."_

 _Wrinkling her forehead, "What does that mean? You can't see only the science?"_

 _Stepping forward and placing her hands on Lauren's hips, "You are so focused on solving each problem that comes up with this project you don't see the big picture. What you see is science, what I see is a genetically engineered baby gorilla."_

 _Looking into Bo's eyes, "And what's wrong with that?"_

 _Dropping her hands from Lauren's waist, "What's right with it? Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."_

 _Stepping back, "That's the whole point of scientific research. Doing something that hasn't been done before. Do you think advancements in medicine occur through magic? Scientists and doctors,", jabbing herself in the chest, "like me, push the envelope to find cures for cancer and infertility and autoimmune diseases. It used to be a diagnosis of being HIV positive was a death sentence, but because researchers saw past everything but the science, people are living long and relatively healthy lives being HIV positive, never getting to the full blown AIDs step." Turning her back to Bo and running her hand through her hair, "I was thrilled to share this news with you, Bo because it means we are one step closer to having our own child, one that is part of both you and me."_

 _Bo cuts her off, "We have two children and while they may not share your own personal DNA, they are every bit yours as they are mine." Reaching out to spin Lauren around to face her, "Since when isn't that enough?"_

 _Taking a deep breath to curb her frustration, "It is enough, but I want more. Don't you?"_

 _Shaking her head and taking a step back, "No. Not if it turns a baby into a side show freak."_

 _Balling her hands into fists, "Not a side show freak, a dream….." So soft Bo almost misses it, "My dream."_

 _Sighing as she looks down, biting her lip, her anger gone, Bo steps forward, reaching out to wrap her arms around her doctor, "Oh my love."_

 _Snaking her arms around Bo's waist, Lauren pulls her tight against her, laying her head on Bo's shoulder, she lets her frustration out, "This dream has been with me for so long." Whispering against Bo's neck," I never thought I'd actually find someone to share it with."_

 _Stroking Lauren's long blond hair, "How about we agree to disagree." Bo feels Lauren move to protest and holds her hand up, "Until, just until I have time to process all of this," Pulling back to look into Lauren's eyes, "I am not a scientist, it's going to take me a minute to get this all straight in my head." Smiling gently, "Ok?"_

 _Nodding slowly and tightening her grip, "Ok, but Bo?"_

 _Wrinkling her forehead, "Yes?"_

" _This doesn't mean I love Charley and Emma any less. It's about more than that; it's about us, creating something together. Understand?"_

 _Shaking her head, "I don't understand now, but I will do my best to try."_

 _Nodding, "That's all I ask, is that you try."_

Bo tried to understand Lauren's need, Lauren's dream; but she kept falling short. In the end she agreed to have several of her eggs harvested, but made it clear she didn't want any further experimenting done until they were on the same page.

Lauren agreed, reluctantly. She wasn't getting any younger, at 40 Lauren's clock was winding down.

That all changed when she found the note in Bo's portfolio.

May 10, 2033

Allowing the sun to warm her skin, Charley watches Emma and Maddie flopping around in the pool. The sisters versus the unlikely duo of Tamsin and Vex in a 'friendly' game of pool volleyball. When it came to competition of any kind, Emma was never friendly. Extremely competitive, Emma took every endeavor seriously, particularly volleyball. A stand out player at her high school, she was offered several athletic scholarships, Stanford and Duke being just two of them but Emma, being a Pennsylvania girl through and through chose Penn State's offer. At just 16 she would be the youngest freshman player on the team when she began her college career in the fall.

Smiling as Emma slams the blocked ball at Vex's head, Charley remembers Emma's first introduction to volleyball. It was spring and they were still in Geneva, longing for the fresh air of outside, Emma begged Charley 'to kick the ball', Emma's term for soccer, with her. Charley decided Emma needed to learn something new and brought the volleyball out instead. Using the clothes line as the net, Charley went about showing Emma the basics as Bo sat at the patio table, sketching the blooming flowers of the sprawling back garden of their home. Emma was a natural athlete and excellent student, Charley was having a great time being her big sister and teacher, laughing and giggling until…

 _April 2022_

 _Bursting through the back door, Lauren was holding out a sheet of paper, frantically shaking it at her Momma. Charley couldn't hear what Ren was saying, but judging by the look on her face she was pissed._

 _Looking up from her sketch pad, the smile disappearing from her lips when she saw Lauren's face, Bo calls out, "Charley, why don't you take Emma inside for a minute. Momma needs to talk to Ren."_

 _Frowning, her mothers have been 'talking' quite a bit lately, "Come on Emma, the grown-ups need talk time." holding her hand out for Emma to take, Charley walks them inside and away from the growing tension between her Momma and her Ren. Charley didn't know what was going on in their adult lives to make things so uncomfortable, but she sure hoped they'd figure it out so they could get back to being the happy family they had always been._

 _It wasn't her intention to snoop, she was simply tidying up the living room, something she did every day. She had to, with an almost 5 year old, a tweener and Bo, things got messy in a hurry. If there was one thing Lauren couldn't take, it was chaos. Chaos gave her hives._

 _Picking up Bo's portfolio from the coffee table where Bo had tossed it earlier in the day, a single piece of paper floated to the floor. Bo might have been messy in general, but she was meticulous when it came to her work and the neatness of her portfolio was no exception. Automatically bending down to pick up the errant sheet, Lauren sees the letterhead of the local gallery Bo had visited that morning. Figuring it was something important regarding Bo's show there later in the month Lauren takes a closer look before placing it back in Bo's portfolio. The handwritten words cause her heart to leap, catching in her throat. As she reads, she feels the thin grip she had on what had been, until recently, the keystone of her existence thump to the floor:_

Bo,

I so enjoyed our time together this morning. I'd like to further the connection we made. Call me if you'd like to meet for coffee or something more.

022 343 05 18

Rachel

 _She literally saw red, never in her life had she been so angry so quickly. Marching to the backdoor and slamming it open, she held the thin sheet of paper out to Bo, barely noticing Charley and Emma playing in the yard._

" _What the hell Bo? What the fuck is going on?" She sees the smile die on Bo's lips and watches her mouth move, but she can't hear the words. She feels Charley and Emma brush past her, stalking into the house as she shakes her head. Had she gone deaf?_

 _She sees Bo is speaking, and slowly, as if she were surfacing from the deep waters of a lake, she hears Bo's muffled voice._

" _Oh that." Waving it off as if it were nothing, "It's uh, a note from Rachel Heis, the gallery owner I met with this morning."_

 _Rolling her eyes and speaking through gritted teeth, "I can see that. Why is Rachel Heis, the gallery owner, asking you to call her?"_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, "We hit it off. Maybe she wants a friend."_

 _Laughing in anger, "More like she wants to date you; not befriend you."_

 _Dropping her pencil and standing, suddenly angry herself, "Maybe I want a friend."_

" _Really? What do you really want Bo? A new friend or a new lover?" Lauren had never been so angry, so free with her words, so confrontational._

 _Blinking as she processed Lauren's question, Bo asks it of herself: what was her intention? Did she feel neglected, did she feel they had grown apart, was she questioning their future? The answer to all three questions was yes. Lauren spent so much time away from them she had become a stranger, a ghost, a roommate, no longer her wife. She feels her world shift as if the ground had fallen away from her feet._

 _Her hands at her sides, Bo drops her head, looking at Lauren's feet. Struggling, to be honest she was flattered when Rachel overtly flirted with her. She felt wanted, a feeling that had been lacking in her relationship with her wife for quite some time. As she chewed on her lip and her answer, her life with the quiet and shy doctor flashed through her mind. Their first kiss ,the pop-up wedding Lauren surprised her with, the home they made together, the happy family they had been. The truth surprising her as the words bubbled up and out, "All I want…. Is you."_

 **Thoughts? Questions?**

 **And, as always, thank you for reading...  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Another short update, but work and life has been crazy! When I decided to continue this story, I thought work was under control. Sadly, I was mistaken and this sequel has proven to be more difficult to write than I anticipated. Updates will be slow in coming, but Bo and Lauren have more adventures around the corner.  
**

 **I own nothing but the mistakes.**

 _Previously_

" _Really? What do you really want Bo? A new friend or a new lover?" Lauren had never been so angry, so free with her words, so confrontational._

 _Blinking as she processed Lauren's question, Bo asks it of herself: what was her intention? Did she feel neglected, did she feel they had grown apart, was she questioning their future? The answer to all three questions was yes. Lauren spent so much time away from them she had become a stranger, a ghost, a roommate, no longer her wife. She feels her world shift as if the ground had fallen away from her feet._

 _Her hands at her sides, Bo drops her head, looking at Lauren's feet. Struggling, to be honest she was flattered when Rachel overtly flirted with her. She felt wanted, a feeling that had been lacking in her relationship with her wife for quite some time. As she chewed on her lip and her answer, her life with the quiet and shy doctor flashed through her mind. Their first kiss ,the pop-up wedding Lauren surprised her with, the home they made together, the happy family they had been. The truth surprising her as the words bubble up and out, "All I want…. Is you."_

* * *

Riverrun May 10, 2033

Rolling onto her side, Charley shivers despite the warmth of the sun as the memory of the big fight fades. She did as her Momma had asked and took Emma inside, but she lingered in the kitchen by the open window. She wanted to know the reason her family was no longer happy. After seeing Ren and her Momma so angry with each other, she ran from the kitchen, seeking solace with her little sister in her imagination and games. Things at home changed after that day, the tension between her mothers eased, Ren was home more and soon after, they were packing up and heading back to Philadelphia.

Glancing around the pool, Charley sees her Momma and Ren sitting at the long outside table together. Ren was listening to some long drawn out story her Aunt Kenzi had been telling for what seemed like hours, Momma sketching, hands linked on the table top. A smile makes its way to Charley's lips, her mothers were almost always touching when in the same space, holding hands or shoulders together, one part of each always in contact with the other. She remembers it being that way when she was little, when she and Momma first lived with Ren and then it changed when they were in Geneva, slowly the distance, both physical and emotional, grew until it got to the boiling point, culminating in the big blow up she watched from the kitchen window.

Charley didn't know the circumstances surrounding her mothers' decision to have Maddie; what she did know was Maddie saved her family.

Lauren was only half listening to Kenzi's animated tale of one of her late night adventures in New York, she was more interested in watching Bo sketch. She loved to watch Bo create, whether it was sketching or painting, always fascinated by the way she held a pencil or brush. How something materialized on paper or canvas from nothing.

Bo was idly sketching the landscaping around the pool, catching the last of the spring blooms as well as the early colors of summer. Bo's studio on the other side of the pool house was full of sketch pads with flowers from around the world. She drew flowers for practice and as a way to document their travels. Lauren wonders if the flowers from their garden in Geneva are still amongst those books.

Her mind drifts as she thinks about those flowers and their garden in Geneva; landing on the memory of Bo dropping her pencil and standing when confronted with the note she found from Rachel in her portfolio. She remembers every detail of that argument; the way the sun felt on her face, the smell of Bo's hair on the light breeze, the feeling of the earth moving under her feet.

 _April 2022 Geneva_

" _All I want…. Is you."_

 _Bo's soft and honest words literally brought Lauren to her knees: Bo wanted her, no one else, just her. Choking back her tears of relief, Lauren slowly stands, moving towards Bo as she reaches out her hand to lift Bo's chin to look into her eyes, "Only me?"_

" _Always."_

 _Falling into each others arms, the feel of their bodies so close foreign to both, but still a perfect fit. Bo kisses Lauren's temple as she whispers again, "Always."_

 _Squeezing Bo tight, "Then why Bo?"_

 _Pressing her lips together as she pulls back to look into Lauren's tear stained face, "I felt abandoned. I felt unwanted and unloved." Tears falling freely, "She made me feel wanted. Something that's been missing from us for some time now."_

 _Bo has more to say, but Lauren cuts her off, "I'm sorry Bo, I'm so, so sorry. I get consumed and I forget everything and everyone. I don't do it consciously, but I do it none the less. It is never my intention to ignore you or the girls," Lauren's voice cracks with emotion, "but I do anyway."_

 _Stroking Lauren's cheek, wiping away her tears, "Shhh, my love. I know in my head you don't do it on purpose; my heart forgets sometimes. But believe me when I say I love you with all of my heart. I'd never throw what we have away on a fling to fuel my ego."_

 _Taking Bo's hand from her cheek, pressing it between both of hers, glancing down at their intertwined fingers, she can see faint traces of paint in the creases of Bo's knuckles, "Bo…I want to retire."_

 _Shock ripples across Bo's features, "You….What?"_

 _Nodding, "I want to leave Geneva, return to the States…. and retire."_

 _Her heart leaping in her chest, Bo is overjoyed and suddenly, speechless._

 _Watching the emotions flit across Bo's features, Lauren hurries on with her explanation, "I want to retire to concentrate on," Lauren hesitates, she wants to try again for a baby, one that is hers and Bo's. She has to present this the right way to ensure buy in from Bo, "having a baby…." Looking up at Bo with pleading eyes, "Our baby."_

 _Her heart stuttering in her chest, Bo is feeling both elation and panic. Elated that Lauren wants to retire; panic overcoming her at making Lauren's dream come true. "I, um. Oh Lauren, I am still not sure about the baby thing. I have…."_

" _I know you have reservations Bo, but I will do it." Squeezing her eyes shut, her voice hardening, "With or without you."_

 _Surprised at the sternness in Lauren's voice, Bo capitulates, "I'll get there Lauren. You won't do it alone… I just need some more time."_

 _Her mind racing, time is something they don't have. If she doesn't get the process started, Bo's eggs fertilized and ready for implanting before they left Geneva, it wouldn't happen. Once back in the States, she'd have no lab in which to complete the process. She'd have to do it before they left and she'd have to do it on her own, without her team. Nodding as she formulates her plan to leave Geneva with everything she needed to fulfill her dream, Lauren agrees, "Ok. But Bo, I won't wait long."_

 _Pulling Lauren close, whispering against her ear, "I know and I promise you won't have to."_

* * *

May 17 2022 Geneva

Finished with the movers, Lauren kisses Bo goodbye and heads to her lab for the final time. She has a secret to pack up and ship to her old friend Jason's fertility clinic. She waited a week before putting her plan into place. Bo was slowly coming around. She had been looking at Emma and Charley's baby pictures and asking Lauren questions about how genetics worked. Particularly in how Emma's genetic makeup was different from Charley's, even though they shared Bo's DNA.

Humming to herself as she packs up Bo's eggs fertilized with Henry's sperm from which she had stripped the X chromosome material and replaced with her own X chromosomal material. Any of those frozen embryos who were girls would be genetically hers and Bo's; the boys would be Henry and Bo's and Emma's full sibling. She felt a twinge of guilt, but only for a moment. She was serious when she told Bo she'd do it on her own if she had to. She desperately wanted to experience everything associated with motherhood, including pregnancy and all that entailed. She fell in love with Emma the moment she saw her silhouette in Bo's first ultrasound; Charley after a few hours of meeting her. She didn't know the moment Bo fell in love with their daughters; was it when the plus sign showed up on the pregnancy test or later or sooner? Was that love something innate for a mother? She wanted to find out, through her own experience and of course for the science.

Her secret packed up and ready to ship, Lauren dropped it at the desk for the courier to pick up and headed home to her family.

* * *

Riverrun May 10, 2033

Still not paying attention to Kenzi's story, Lauren's mind continues to drift. The science was easy; waiting for Bo to be ready to use it was the hard part. They had been back in the States for little more than a month when Bo came to her….

 _Riverrrun June 2022_

 _Checking her ovulation calendar, Lauren sighs as she confirms the dates are right for implanting Bo's fertilized eggs. She had 2 days or wait for another month. It had been too soon last month, Bo wasn't ready to discuss it, let alone do it yet. Dropping her phone on the couch in her home office, otherwise known as the room made of glass, she hears Bo's footsteps coming down the hall, humming as she came._

 _Smiling as she enters Lauren's office, "Hey you. Just the scientist I was looking for," Bo leans in, gently kissing Lauren's cheek._

 _Placing her arms around Bo's waist, "Oh? Is that so? Are you in the habit of looking for many scientists?"_

 _Smirking as she leans in to kiss Lauren's nose, "No. Just the one."_

 _Smiling and nodding, "Good to know. Why were you looking for me?"_

 _Snaking her arms around Lauren's waist, pulling her close, "I'm ready."_

 _Raising her eyebrows, "Ready?"_

 _Leaning in to feather kisses down Lauren's jaw, "To make your dream come true."_

 _Lauren manages to choke out, "Really?"_

 _Nipping at Lauren's earlobe, catching it between her teeth, "Mmmmmhmmmmm."_

 _Catching Bo's face between her hands, she pulls her in for a lingering kiss, savoring the taste of her lips. Running her hands up Bo's back to her shoulders, Lauren backs her up to the couch, their lips never parting. Pushing Bo down, she straddles her hips, her hands working to unbutton Bo's shirt, deepening their kiss as she feels Bo's skin beneath her fingers._

 _Leaning her head back as Lauren breaks their kiss to nibble on her neck, "Are Charley and Emma here?"_

 _Taking a breath, "Outside. The pool, I think."_

 _Raising her hands to pull Lauren's face up to look in her eyes, seeing her own want and need reflected there. It had been so long since they had looked at each other with such blatant desire, "Upstairs. Now."_

 _Smirking as she climbs off of Bo, "I'll race you."_

 **More to come and as always, thank you for reading.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N It's a bit on the short side, but we get a little more of Maddie's story...  
**

 _Previously_

 _Leaning her head back as Lauren breaks their kiss to nibble on her neck, "Are Charley and Emma here?"_

 _Taking a breath, "Outside. The pool, I think."_

 _Raising her hands to pull Lauren's face up to look in her eyes, seeing her own want and need reflected there. It had been so long since they had looked at each other with such blatant desire, "Upstairs. Now."_

 _Smirking as she climbs off of Bo, "I'll race you."_

 **Riverrun May 10 2033**

"And that's how I ended up dancing at the 32nd Street Oyster Bar every other Friday." Slapping her hand on the table as she ends her story, Kenzi sees a faraway look in Lauren's eye. "You didn't hear a thing I said, did you?"

Caught, Lauren sits forward in her chair, "I hung on every word."

Nodding as she stands, folding her arms across her chest, "Right. Doesn't matter." Unfolding her arms and pointing between Lauren and Bo, "I'm done with you two. I'm changing into my suit and joining my nieces in the pool." Walking off towards the pool house, Kenzi calls over her shoulder, "Later dudettes."

Squeezing Lauren's hand on the table, Bo leans in to whisper, "I know that look. What naughty times were you thinking about?"

Dipping her head as a slow blush creeps up her cheeks, "The day you came to me, eleven years ago, making my dream come true."

Lifting Lauren's hand to her lips, Bo kisses her knuckles, "Oh yeah, that day. The kids were outside and we were….."

 ** _Rivverrun June 2022_**

" _Upstairs. Now."_

 _Smirking as she climbs off of Bo, "I'll race you."_

 _Chasing each other up the stairs, making quick work of their clothes as they enter the room, heading to the big, fluffy bed full of pillows. Knocking the pillows to the floor, Bo flips Lauren onto her back, hands on either side of Lauren's face, "I've missed you, my love."_

 _Reaching up to brush Bo's hair back off of her face, "I've missed you too." Holding the back of Bo's head, she pulls her down to feel the weight of her, something she has loved from the beginning, something she missed desperately. Bringing their lips together for a kiss full of love and want and passion, a kiss like the ones they had shared in the beginning. Slipping and sliding together, reveling in the feel of each other, it had been far too long. Snaking her hand between them, she finds out just how much Bo has missed her, slipping inside her as Bo moans, "I love you." Working her leg under Bo's, Lauren flips them, repositioning herself half on, half off of Bo as she breathes hard against her lips, "Let me show you how much I love you too."_

* * *

 _Her head lying on Lauren's chest, Bo idly tracing circles on Lauren's belly, sighs, "The girls are going to come looking for us soon."_

 _Kissing the top of Bo's head, "Mmmmm, you're right. But I'm not ready to let you go just yet."_

 _Snuggling in deeper against Lauren, "Me either."_

 _Smiling and looking down at her Bo, the love of her life, the woman who gives her everything she asks for, squeezing Bo tighter against her, "It wouldn't do for Charley and Emma to find us like this."_

" _Oh whatever. It's not like they've never seen us…"_

" _Naked?"_

" _Yeah."_

 _Dropping another kiss to the top of Bo's head, "Oh Bo. So cute."_

 _Moving to prop her head on her hand, "Have you forgotten when we first got to Geneva? We were "unpacking", the girls were supposed to be asleep and we had no idea if they were or weren't because the baby monitor wasn't working and here comes Charley holding a screaming Emma in her arms?"_

 _Rolling her eyes, "Emma was just a baby Bo."_

" _Details, details. She still saw us."_

 _Laughing and running her hands through Bo's hair, "Oh Bo."_

 _Pouting her lips, "What? It's true." Sighing as she rolls over to stand and begin the task of sorting through their clothes strewn on the floor. Tossing Lauren's top at her on the bed, Bo slips her black dress pants on, laughing, "Remember what Charley said?"_

 _Sitting up and reaching for her top, laughing as they say in unison, "Oh Momma, not again!"_

 _Chuckling as she buttons up her shirt, Bo continues, "She spun around and stomped out as if we were teenagers caught by a disapproving mother."_

 _Still sitting up in the middle of the bed, her top clutched in her hand, Lauren laughs along with Bo. It felt good to laugh with her wife, another thing they had been missing. So many of their interactions had been filled with tension lately, lighthearted moments like these were few and far between._

 _Sitting on the edge of the bed, Bo leans in to place a gentle kiss to Lauren's lips, "Mmmmm. You taste good."_

 _Licking her lips, "So do you."_

 _Taking Lauren's hand, Bo debates with herself over whether to check on the girls as she had intended or stay for more 'tasting', Bo sighs, "I guess I should go check on the girls."_

 _Reaching out to hold Bo in place, "I think they'll be alright for a little while longer."_

 _Smirking as she crawls onto the bed, "You think?"_

 _Smiling as she reaches out to undo Bo's buttons, "Mmmmhhmmm."_

* * *

 _Now fully dressed and working together to prepare dinner, Charley and Emma in Lauren's office watching The Incredibles, Bo asks, "So how is this going to happen?"_

 _Stopping mid-chop, "How is what going to happen?"_

 _Raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly into Lauren's eyes as she gestures vaguely towards Lauren's belly, "The baby?"_

 _Smiling as she goes back to chopping, "Oh that. Everything is already done, all that is left to accomplish is the transfer of the embryo to my uterus and wait for implantation to occur. We're going to Jason's office tomorrow morning."_

 _Dropping her hand to the counter, "Tomorrow? Already?"_

" _Yes. The embryos were created while we were still in Geneva and I'm ovulating."_

 _Confused, "If you already have embryos, does it matter if you're ovulating?"_

 _Nodding as she goes back to chopping vegetables for stir fry, "Yes. It signals my body to prepare for pregnancy. It's the optimum time for implantation. My hormone levels, my uterine lining, everything is primed and ready for pregnancy. We're just skipping a couple of steps. True we could do it at anytime during my cycle, but the odds of success go up exponentially if we do it at the exact right moment of my cycle."_

 _Always a turn on when Lauren talked science, Bo leans against Lauren's arm, kissing her cheek, mumbles, "The geek speak doctor."_

 _Chuckling, "Down tiger. Children down the hall."_

 _As if on cue, they hear the running footsteps of their youngest coming towards them. Bursting into the kitchen, holding up her latest creation Emma runs to her Momma, "Look Momma!"_

 _Leaning down and picking Emma up, sitting her on the kitchen island, Bo holds Emma's masterpiece._

" _Wow Bean. This is incredible."_

 _Smiling from ear to ear, "It's the circulatory system of a human. Do you like it?"_

 _Scooping her youngest into her arms, "I love it."_

 _Turning to look at Lauren, "Its right isn't it Ren?"_

 _Taking the drawing from Bo, "It's perfect Emma. Spot on, I could use this as a guide for a surgical procedure."_

 _Squirming as Bo let's go of her, placing a kiss to the top of her head, "Can we hang it on the refrigerator Momma?"_

" _Of course we can." Turning to find a spot on the fridge, Bo places it right in front, next to Charley's soccer schedule, the nervous system of a mouse and the musculature of a bear. The bear was for Charley because of her nick name, the others were for Ren._

 _Clapping her hands and turning to run back to Lauren's office, calling, "Thanks Momma." over her shoulder._

 _Shaking her head, "You're welcome Emma." Turning to Lauren, "Leave it to us to have a kid that draws the insides of animals and people."_

 _Moving to stand beside Bo, "She's very talented Bo, like you."_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, "At her age I was drawing monsters and stick figures, not this kind of stuff. Oh I forgot, she asked if we were going to sign her up for soccer or volleyball. Do they even have volleyball for kids her age?"_

 _Pursing her lips as she maneuvers around Bo to toss her vegetables in the marinade, "I should think so; check the rec center's website."_

 _Pulling out her phone, Bo looks up the rec center's website and finds a class for Emma right away, "It's a couple of days a week, will that be ok? Can we manage to get both kids to where they need to be without a struggle?"_

 _Stirring her veggies, Lauren looks up at Bo, "I'm retired remember? You won't have to shuffle them to school and after school things alone."_

 _Ducking her head, "I forgot." The last year in Geneva Bo took care of the kids, the house and her career by herself; she had gotten used to dealing with things on her own. She'd have to remember she had Lauren's help. "The school in the district we fall under in the city is year round and the new school year starts in two weeks. We have to register them this week if we're going to live in the city full time. If it's here, school doesn't start until the end of August; we can register them next month."_

" _We promised Charley she'd go to school in the city, with her old friends, right?"_

 _Nodding as she scrolls through her phone, "We did, just want to make sure that was still the plan."_

" _Why would it change?"_

 _Looking up from her phone, "I don't know, the whole baby thing, maybe Riverrun would be better for you, less stressy for being pregnant. I haven't forgotten about the other times we went down this road."_

 _Moving to stand beside Bo, reaching her arm around her waist, "I haven't either and being with you and the girls, where we're all happy, is all I'll need. Plus, I won't be working. I've already scheduled the cleaning crew to set up the apartment and your studio in the city. It'll be ready for us to move in next week."_

 _Snaking her arms around Lauren's waist, "You've thought of everything haven't you?"_

" _I try."_

 _Leaning in for a gentle kiss, "You succeed."_

 **Rivverrun May 10 2033**

Squeezing Lauren's hand, "And 275 days later little Madeline Everet Dennis came into the world, all pink and screaming."

Smiling as she watches Kenzi jump into the pool with their daughters, "She did indeed." Lauren had her answer on when a mother falls in love with her child; it was the moment the plus sign showed up on the at home pregnancy test.

 _Bo and Lauren's apartment June 2022_

 _Bo was downstairs with Charley setting up her studio while Lauren and Emma put the finishing touches on their apartment in the city. Stopping to take in the view, Lauren hears Emma rummaging around in the kitchen, "What are you looking for Bean?"_

" _A snack."_

 _Smiling as she turns from the windows, Emma was almost always hungry and with the metabolism of a hummingbird, she was tall and slender for her age. Emma had inherited her artistic talents from Bo, her metabolism from Henry. Charley on the other hand, not only inherited her artistic talent from Bo but her athletic build as well, making Lauren wonder what her and Bo's child would be like._

 _Opening the refrigerator, "How about some cheese and grapes Bean?"_

 _Rifling through a drawer on the other side of the kitchen area, "Ok Ren." Before shutting the drawer Emma pulls out what looks like a fruit rollup package, she hands it to Lauren, "Can I have this too?"_

 _Taking the package from Emma, Lauren laughs out, "Oh honey. This is not edible, read the name on it. Go on, I know you can read these words."_

 _Looking at the words Emma reads, "Clear Blue. That's blueberries right?"_

 _Chuckling and pointing, "What's that word right there?"_

 _Sounding it out in her head, Emma smiles, "Oh, pregnancy. That's not blueberries."_

 _Placing the package on the counter, "No sweetie, its not. You know what pregnancy means?"_

 _Nodding, "Oh yes. Its when a woman is going to have a baby. Why do we have that? Is Momma going to have a baby?"_

 _She and Bo were going to tell the girls together, but the opportunity presented itself and she took it, "Not Momma, me."_

 _Raising her eyebrows and opening her mouth in surprise, she loved having a big sister and Charley was the best big sister a girl could have but if Ren had a baby, she'd get to be the big sister. Jumping excitedly, "Are you going to have a baby Ren?"_

 _Picking Emma up and setting her on the counter, standing in front of her, "Would you like that?"_

" _Yes! That means I get to be a big sister, like Charley."_

 _Placing her hands on Emma's shoulders, "It does, but it also means things will change. There will be a baby that will take up Momma's and my time."_

" _That's ok. Me and Charley can help take care of her."_

 _Smiling and running her hand down Emma's honey hair, "Is that so?"_

 _Nodding, "Yes. Does Charley know? Can I tell her? Can we go to Momma's studio?"_

" _Eat your snack and then we'll go downstairs to Momma's studio and tell Charley."_

* * *

 _Pacing as she waits for the pregnancy test to finish doing its job, Bo looks at Lauren sitting calmly on the lid of the toilet in their bathroom, "How do you know that test is even going to work? Isn't it like five years old?"_

 _Rolling her eyes, "It's brand new Bo."_

 _"Oh. Well... how are you so calm?"_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, "Why are you so nervous?"_

" _I don't know. I've never been on this side of the test before. I guess this is what a dude feels like. Now I understand Dyson a little bit better."_

 _Reaching out to take Bo's hand, stopping her pacing, "It will either be positive or it will be negative. You pacing won't change it either way."_

 _Scrunching her forehead and sitting on the floor in front of Lauren, "I know, but when I was on your side, I was always calm like you. I always had a feeling one way or the other. Do you?"_

 _Raising her eyebrows, "Do I?"_

" _Have a feeling?"_

 _Pursing her lips as she thinks about Bo's questions, "I do."_

 _Waving her hands, Bo has never been very patient, "And?"_

" _I feel…" before she can finish, the timer on her phone goes off, "I guess it doesn't matter now."_

 _Taking Lauren's hand before she can uncover the pregnancy test, "It does. Do you feel like you're pregnant?"_

" _I do."_

" _So do I. Let's check."_

 _Reaching out together to remove the towel covering the test stick, both holding their breath. Flipping the covering off, they see a bright pink plus sign._

 _With a shaky breath, Bo feels the sting of tears as she says, "It worked."_

 _Nodding as her heart swells with love for the baby growing inside of her, "It did."_

 ** _Bo and Lauren's city apartment October 31, 2022_**

 _Answering the door, Lauren calls out, "Charley! Byron is here." Turning to point at the kitchen, "There are snacks on the counter Byron, help yourself."_

 _Nodding his head, "Thanks Dr. Lewis. My mom said to thank you for letting me stay here tonight. I didn't feel like tagging along with them and Dana is at school and my mom thinks I'm 8 years old and can't stay on my own."_

 _Chuckling, Mrs. Stein was the epitome of an overprotective mother, "It's no problem. I trust you and Charley will stay out of trouble while Bo and I take Emma trick or treating."_

 _Entering the living room, Charley assures her second mother, "We will Ren. We're just gonna watch movies and eat popcorn." And talk about how she could get Byron's sister to notice her, but she kept that part to herself. At fifteen, Charley was fully aware of the seriousness of her crush on Dana Stein and she planned on doing something about it, finally._

 _Entering the living room on Charley's heels, Emma dressed as her favorite artist Leonard DaVinci, waves at Byron and asks, "Are you ready Ren?" Looking at Lauren's attire, dark blue scrubs and a white doctor's coat, her pregnant belly just poking through, " Are you going as a doctor?"_

 _She had intended on dressing as Nike the goddess of victory, to celebrate the fact she had made it past the crucial 12_ _th_ _week of pregnancy, but the wings proved too heavy. Not wanting to risk anything, even though Jason had assured her everything was going perfectly with this pregnancy, she changed her plans. Falling back on what she had in her closet, Lauren was dressed as a doctor._

" _Yes Bean, I am going as a doctor. Where's your Momma?"_

" _She's finishing her make-up."_

 _Bo entered the living room with a flourish, dressed as Wonder Woman, Lauren took in the sight of her and gulped, "Wow."_

 _Looking down at herself, "I know right! I rock this. Who knew I was a superhero?"_

 _Taking Bo's hands and kissing her cheek, Lauren whispers, "I did. Always."_

 **I want to thank everyone for the follows, favorites and of course reviews. I love the feedback! And as always, thank you for reading.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N This ended up being more Charley centric than one might expect. But to be honest, when I thought about continuing the characters' stories from the end of _Problem Solving,_ two scenes kept popping up in my brain. The opening of chapter one and Charley's 18th birthday. The muse takes me where she takes me. Come along for the ride if you're so inclined. **

_Previously_

 _She had intended on dressing as Nike the goddess of victory, to celebrate the fact she had made it past the crucial 12_ _th_ _week of pregnancy, but the wings proved too heavy. Not wanting to risk anything, even though Jason had assured her everything was going perfectly with this pregnancy, she changed her plans. Falling back on what she had in her closet, Lauren was dressed as a doctor._

" _Yes Bean, I am going as a doctor. Where's your Momma?"_

" _She's finishing her make-up."_

 _Bo entered the living room with a flourish dressed as Wonder Woman; Lauren took in the sight of her and gulped, "Wow."_

 _Looking down at herself, "I know right! I rock this. Who knew I was a superhero?"_

 _Taking Bo's hands and kissing her cheek, Lauren whispers, "I did. Always."_

 **Riverrun May 10 2033**

"That was Emma's first Halloween in the states. Remember how excited she was over the Hershey bars?" Bo shakes her head recalling their usually stoic Emma gushing with excitement over a simple chocolate bar.

Lauren gazes out over the pool at Kenzi and Tamsin's antics splashing around with Emma; Vex had long since given up and was lying in the sun next to Charley, "You in that costume was ridiculous. I had to beat the masses off of you with a stick."

Chuckling, "Oh it wasn't that bad."

Rolling her eyes, "Maybe not to you, you love attention, but for pregnant me, all bloated and covered in acne, it was rather uncomfortable."

"Stop. You were beautiful while pregnant, glowing in fact. I'd never seen you so perfect as that Halloween."

Standing as she laughs, "Bo, seriously? Stop before your nose starts to grow." Tugging on Bo's hand, "Come on, help me in the kitchen with the food. People are going to start getting hungry. I'm surprised Emma hasn't come looking for food already."

"Alright, I'll stop."

Walking off hand in hand to the kitchen, they are ambushed by a giggling Maddie, fresh out of the pool and dripping all over them.

Scolding her youngest, Bo holds her hand up, "Maddie! Where's your towel?"

Shrugging her shoulders, "On my lounge, down at the pool, next to Charley."

Shaking her head as she lets go of Lauren's hand to grab a towel off the rack by the back door, handing it to her dripping child, "Here, dry off before you come in."

Taking the towel, "Oh, I wasn't going in the house Momma."

Raising her eyebrows, "Then what were you doing?"

Madeline Everret Dennis was a perfect blend of the two of them, with shoulder length dark blond hair, brown eyes a shade darker than Lauren's, a shade lighter than Bo's, average height for her age and a runner's build. Not as slender as Emma, not as athletically built as Charley. She had Lauren's bump in her nose and Bo's dimples, both cheeks. She didn't inherit Lauren's eidetic memory like Emma had, but she was one of the smartest kids in her class. She liked to draw and paint, she read everything she could get her hands on, she played soccer because she liked to run, she loved being outside and she wholeheartedly enjoyed being a kid. She was never as serious as either Charley or Emma, she was quick to laugh, easy to please with a quirky sense of humor, she was almost always well behaved and she loved her family more than anything on the planet.

Usually having a child to save a marriage isn't the answer, but in this case it worked; Maddie saved them all. Having Maddie brought Lauren and Bo closer than they had been in a long time. They were on the verge of breaking when the decision was made to go forward and make Lauren's dream come true. It forced them to communicate, one thing they tended to let slide in their relationship, bringing long held emotions to the surface and out into the daylight, allowing them the chance to process through them.

Cocking her head to the side, Maddie looks at her mothers, "Emma sent me to find out about food."

Chuckling, Lauren nods, "Of course she did. Dry off and help us in the kitchen."

XXXXXX

"So tell me darling, how many times have you professed your love for this Dana bird?"

Glaring at Vex as she scrolls through the text from Byron, "Once…..well twice."

Whistling, "Oh really? How'd that go?"

Sighing, Vex was getting on her last nerve with all of his questions. She needed to focus, Dana was about to be there any minute, "Not well… obviously."

"Why don't you tell Vexy all about it?"

Frowning, "Why would I do that?"

"Come on love, I need something to entertain me until the fireworks show."

Raising her eyebrows, "Umm, there aren't any fireworks Vex."

Smirking, "Oh there will be when Dana shows up."

Throwing her towel at him, "You are evil, pure evil."

"Come on Charley, tell me the dirty details."

Quiet for a minute as she considers telling Vex the whole sordid story, Charley nods, "Alright. I'll tell you."

Sitting up and rubbing his hands together, "Now we're talking."

 ** _Bo & Lauren's city apartment Halloween 2022_**

 _After her Momma and Ren left to take Emma trick or treating, Charley wasted no time in grilling Byron on what to do about his sister._

 _Slouching together on the couch over a bowl of popcorn, "What am I going to do Byron? Dana doesn't even know I exist."_

 _Throwing a piece of popcorn up to catch it in his mouth, "Sure she does. She knows you're my best friend, you live in the penthouse of this building, you just moved back from Geneva and one of your moms is Isabeau Dennis, the artist. She's an art history major don't you know. Oh and when we were little, before you guys moved to Switzerland, she used to walk us to school."_

 _Rolling her eyes, "Great. She remembers me as a 9 year old."_

 _Shrugging his shoulders, "No she doesn't. She's coming home this weekend; the three of us can hang out and then you can tell her all about your crush."_

 _Punching him in the arm, "I can't do that!"_

 _Rubbing his arm where Charley punched him, "Ow! Why?"_

 _Raising her eyebrows, "Because that would be too easy. What if she's not into girls?"_

 _Rolling his eyes, "Oh she is, trust me."_

" _What if she's not in to me?"_

 _Raising his arm to wrap around his best friend's shoulder, "You're never gonna know if you don't ask, Charley."_

 _Frowning as she sighs out, "I know."_

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Dana came home that weekend as expected and the three of them made plans to watch movies at the Stein's on Saturday night. Charley was a bundle of nerves all day, even after expending the energy to take Emma to the park. When it came time to head down to Byron's apartment, she said goodbye to her moms and rode down in the elevator, biting her nails as the car descended._

 _Knocking on the door, Charley held her breath. Her plan was to wait until she and Dana were alone before she said anything, prearranging with Byron for some alone time. Byron answered the door, invited Charley in and was blabbering about something, but Charley didn't hear a word he said. All she saw was Dana…..blonde hair up in a top knot, green eyes crinkled in laughter, long runner's legs kicked up on the end of the couch, her Zoie Palmer arms over her head as she lounged on the floor. Still not listening to Byron, Charley heads straight to the couch, sitting cross legged on the opposite end of where Dana's feet were kicked up._

 _Dana sits up, placing her hand on Charley's knee, "Hey Charley."_

 _Dipping her head as she feels her cheeks burn, Charley manages a simple "Hi."_

 _The Stein's apartment was similar in layout to Bo's studio, with a combined living/dining/kitchen area and three bedrooms and bath down the hall on the other side of the living area. Byron could see Charley's face pink up at the attention of his sister, shaking his head as he gathered snacks, he hoped Charley had heard him when he told her to nix their plan._

 _Listening to Dana talk about her life at school, she was in her sophomore year at Bo's alma mater, The Rhode Island School of Design, Charley forgoes her plan and blurts out, "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"_

 _Dana's blank stare causing Charley to rush forward, "Just the two of us. We could go to the movies or, I know. Ummm, my Momma's latest art show is opening in a couple of weeks, would you like to go with me?"_

 _Shaking her head in confusion, "Like on a date?"_

 _Nodding shyly, "Yes."_

 _Choosing her words carefully, it's not like Dana hadn't noticed Charley was no longer a kid, one of the boys as she had always thought of her, but a beautiful and interesting young woman. She had watched her grow from just one of Byron's friends to the person shyly asking her out. If the timing was different, if Charley was a little bit older and if she wasn't currently engaged in her first serious grown up relationship, the words she chose might be different , "I'm flattered Charley, I really am, but….you're barely 15, I'll be 20 in the spring and..."_

 _Charley inherited her Momma's temper and she felt it flare as she interrupted, "So I'm too young? That's what you're saying?"_

 _Shaking her head slowly and reaching out to place her hand on Charley's knee, "No, not exactly. We are in different places in our lives. You've hardly begun high school, I've been through it and experienced the rush of leaving home for the first time and being on my own. On the other hand, you've spent a large part of your childhood growing up in Europe," shrugging her shoulders, "I've never even been off the east coast. I might be older, but you've been places and seen things I have only dreamt about Charley."_

" _Maybe someday I can show you those things?"_

 _Smiling gently, "I'd like that. Ask me again in 3 or 4 years."_

 **Riverrun May 10 2033**

Listening to Charley's story, Vex interrupts with a question, "Hold on, you had said earlier today Dana was clueless about your feelings. Sounds to me like you were pretty clear."

"I may have exaggerated when I said clueless. Call it artistic license."

Stroking his fingers over his goatee, "I'll allow it. Continue."

Settling back into her lounge chair, "Flash forward three years…."

 _Charley had taken Dana's rejection like a champ, remaining friends who saw each other during summer breaks or whenever Dana was home and Charley was in the city. Charley did a little living in those three years, dating a few people here and there, but her feelings for Dana Stein cast a long shadow and none of those relationships amounted to anything serious._

 _Dana had gone back to school and her first real adult relationship, seeing things through to its inevitable end, but Charley Dennis was never far from her mind. She found herself looking forward to seeing Charley more and more as time passed, causing her to question her feelings for her brother's best friend._

 ** _Charley's 18_ _th_ _birthday party_**

 _It wasn't a party so much as a gathering of Charley's friends while her moms and sisters went to dinner with Kenzi. Usually Charley had her birthday at Riverrun, but this year she had started her freshman year at Penn in August, cutting her typical Riverrun summer short. With most of her friends off at school, Charley opted for hosting a small dinner with Byron, a few others and of course Dana. While her friends were talking about what they had done over the summer and their plans for the fall, Charley was giving herself a pep talk. If she was going to say something to Dana, it was now or never. Dana was in the beginning of her doctorial program in modern art at Columbia University and would be gone to New York for the remainder of the year at least. She herself was about to immerse in her own studies for the next several years in her quest to become a doctor. Making matters worse, Charley's summertime fling had shown up and was being…..uh….. overly affectionate._

 _Catching Dana glancing her way every few seconds, Charley extracts herself from the summertime fling's hold on her and makes her way across the room. Seeing Charley heading her way, Dana smiles as she feels the anticipation of finally getting to speak to Charley build._

 _Reaching out to take Dana's hand, "Hey you."_

" _Hey yourself. I wasn't sure you'd be able to get away from ", pointing across the room, "happy hands over there." Seeing Charley with someone was unsettling in the 'I'm jealous' kind of way._

 _Biting her bottom lip, Charley screws up her courage and charges ahead, "Yeah, some people don't understand casual. But ummm, can I talk to you?"_

" _Sure."_

 _Leading Dana into the hall outside the apartment, she wanted as much privacy as she could get. Once out in the hall, Dana leans against the wall, concern written across her features, "Is something wrong Charley?"_

 _Shaking her head, "No." Looking into Dana's brilliant green eyes, Charley smiles, "There was something you told me to ask you again in three or four years." Taking a deep breath, "It's been three years."_

 _Realization dawning, she suddenly feels anticipation turn to apprehension. She sees the hope in Charley's eyes and the last thing she wanted to do was to extinguish that light. Her thoughts racing, again she has to choose her words carefully, "It is." Running her hands through her hair, "I have been waiting for you to ask me that question again. My response has changed many times in the last three years. Sometimes I imagined saying yes, sometimes no."_

 _Charley drops her head, "I feel a nicely worded rejection coming."_

 _Reaching her hand out to lift Charley's chin to look into those dark, dark brown eyes, "I'm about to leave for New York for, probably the rest of my life and you are in the very beginning stages of a long road to becoming a doctor, like you've dreamt of since you were a little girl."_

 _Taking Dana's hand from her chin to hold between both of hers, "And?" Shrugging her shoulders, "We can work something out, right?"_

 _Pursing her lips, she didn't want to 'work something out' she wanted it all with Charley, but that was not an option, not now, not yet. Keeping her true feelings hidden, Dana pushes them down, "Charley, I want you to experience and enjoy your college life. I want you to be fully engaged in this time, not wondering what I'm doing or when we can talk or see each other. Undergrad work is hard, but it can also be exhilarating and fun. I want you to have fun, not be tied down in a long distance," shaking her head and nodding between the two of them, "whatever, that might not work out."_

 _Pressing her lips tightly together as her temper flares, "You want us to wait another 4 years don't you? And then it'll be another 4 years while I finish med school and then it will be wait until you're done with your intern year."_

" _Our timing seems to always be off Charley."_

 _Dropping Dana's hands, Charley turns to walk away, but she can't, she needs to show Dana how serious this is to her. She spins around, taking Dana's face in both of her hands, "Fuck timing." Pressing her lips to Dana's, her lips are oh so soft and she tastes like cherries. Charley feels Dana's hands on the back of her neck, pulling her closer as she opens her mouth to let her in. It was a slow and gentle kiss full of longing and hope that was over far too quickly. Foreheads together, Dana breaths out, "Oh Charley. What are you doing?"_

" _Showing you what the future will bring." Smiling despite her sadness, Charley will wait; she will wait for Dana to be ready._

 _Her hands on Charley's hips, "I'll make the wait worth it Charley."_

 _Leaning in for a chaste kiss to Dana's cheek, "You'd better. I'm going to ask you again when I graduate from medical school, just so you know."_

" _And I'll say yes."_

 **Riverrun May 10, 2033**

Sighing as she finished her tale, "So, there you have it. My long and distinguished career as a schmuck for Dana Stein."

Reaching up to place his arms behind his head, Vex offers rare words of comfort, "I don't think you're a schmuck Charley. I think you're a woman who knows what she wants, fate be damned."

Before Charley can respond, Maddie zips by, racing to the pool, launching herself through the air, "Cannonball!"

Charley sees the wave come at her in slow motion, blocking out the sun as it looms above her head she hears Dana's voice call out, "Watch out Charley!"

Too late, Charley stands like a drowned rat in front of the love of her life, offering a simple wave and a "Hi."

So much for being cool.

 **There you have it. As always, thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I managed to find some time to put together this update. Hope you enjoy.  
**

 _Previously_

 _Riverrun May 10, 2033_

 _Sighing as she finished her tale, "So, there you have it. My long and distinguished career as a schmuck for Dana Stein."_

 _Reaching up to place his arms behind his head, Vex offers rare words of comfort, "I don't think you're a schmuck Charley. I think you're a woman who knows what she wants, fate be damned."_

 _Before Charley can respond, Maddie zips by, racing to the pool, launching herself through the air, "Cannonball!"_

 _Charley sees the wave come at her in slow motion, blocking out the sun as it looms above her head she hears Dana's voice call out, "Watch out Charley!"_

 _Too late, Charley stands like a drowned rat in front of the love of her life, offering a simple wave and a "Hi."_

 _So much for being cool._

 **Riverrun May 10, 2033**

Dana sucks in her breath; a wet Charley in a bikini top and board shorts is a sight to savor. Popping her head up over the edge of the pool, Maddie giggles out, "I found her Dana, she was lounging around by the pool."

Dana's green eyes crinkle in a smile, "Thanks Maddie."

Handing Charley a towel, Vex makes his exit, "Here love, I'm off to find a burger or something."

Wringing out her hair, Charley smiles at Dana, "I'm glad you made it."

Ducking her head to avoid looking directly at Charley's soaked body glistening in the sun, "Me too."

Finished drying off, Charley cocks her head towards the house and holds her hand out for Dana to take, "Walk with me?"

Taking all grown up, medical school graduate Charley's hand, "Of course….Dr. Dennis."

Charley smirks as she leads Dana inside and upstairs to what used to be her Momma's studio to talk in private.

Dana knows why Charley wants to talk in private; she herself had been waiting for this for four years and then almost four more. She lived her life in New York happily waiting until the timing for her and Charley was right. There were times, however, during her life in New York when Dana wished she had said yes to Charley's question all those years ago. Times when she was sitting in the park on a sunny Saturday afternoon, wondering if Charley was doing the same; or a late night spent at a club, a brown eyed brunette with strong arms and a dimpled smile asking her to dance, saying yes as she imagined the arms around her were Charley's.

Charley took Dana's advice and had fun during her undergrad years, looking for someone to share it with, but always in the shadow of her feelings for one Dana Stein. Once she had moved onto the serious study of medicine, she had little time for day dreams, but Dana always managed to find her way into them.

Entering her Momma's old studio, Charley reaches for the lock Lauren gave her when she was six, running it back and forth on it's chain, biting her bottom lip, she turns to ask the question she's been thinking of for the last 7 years, 6 months and 17 days.

XXXXXXXX

Back in the pool, Emma is trying to bribe Maddie into getting her food with an old game they played called, 'Tell me.' Swirling her hand in the water as she floats on a blow up raft, Emma begins her bargaining, "Maddie …..If you get me a burger, smothered in cheese and some potato salad, I'll play 'Tell Me'.

Turning onto her stomach to face her older sister, "Tell me about when Ren was pregnant with me."

Rolling her eyes, "I was only five Maddie, I don't remember, you need Charley."

Playfully splashing Emma, "Charley is busy."

Smirking as she flicks water back at Maddie, "I bet she's busy."

Scrunching up her forehead, Maddie doesn't get Emma's meaning, "She is busy; she took Dana inside."

Smiling at her little sister's innocence, Emma gives in, "Never mind. You get the food and I'll play."

Scrambling off of her raft and shaking Emma's hand, "Deal."

Grinning as she hops into the water off of her own raft, "That's my girl. I'll meet you at the long table."

Emma remembers everything from the moment she handed Ren the pregnancy test thinking it was a fruit roll-up to this very minute; she simply likes to tease her little sister.

Settling down at the long table with their food, Maddie begins the game of Tell me, "Tell me what happened when Momma brought you and Charley to the hospital."

Emma sighs, she's told this particular tale many times; it's one of Maddie's favorites….

 _ **Keystone General Hospital March 2023**_

 _Shushing Emma, Bo gently slides open the door to Lauren's hospital room. If she was sleeping, she didn't want to wake her or the baby. The three of them quietly enter to find both Lauren and Maddie sound asleep, Tamsin sitting at the requisite hospital room table typing on her phone. Looking up when Bo opened the door, Tamsin smiles and whispers, "You just missed the biggest poop ever. I almost had to call the nurse, but I handled it."_

 _Chuckling as she makes her way to the bassinet and the tiny human inside, "You mean you didn't wake Lauren up?"_

 _Shaking her head, "No way. I wasn't going to wake the Doc up after 20 hours of labor."_

 _Reaching out to run her finger over Maddie's silky cheek, Bo sighs, "I don't blame you. She's pretty wiped." Smiling down at her youngest, " You wore your Ren out little Bug. "_

 **Riverrun May 10, 2033**

Holding her hand up to stop Emma, "Wait, wait. Go back to the beginning."

Frowning, "The beginning?"

Maddie stretches her hands out, "Yeah. I want the WHOLE story."

Emma smiles, she should have known, "Alright, Charley had a soccer game and we were getting ready to leave….."

 _ **Bo and Lauren's city apartment March 2023**_

" _Momma!" Charley stands in the doorway of the apartment impatiently waiting for Bo and Emma. "We're gonna be late."_

 _Zipping up Emma's light jacket, "Charlotte Elizabeth Dennis, calm yourself. We have more than enough time to get you to your game." Shaking her head as she leans over to kiss Lauren goodbye, mumbles, "Teenagers." as she reaches for Emma's hand._

 _Taking her Momma's hand, Emma looks up at Lauren, "Aren't you coming Ren?"_

 _Sighing, "Not this time Bean. I'm going to sit this one out."_

 _Seeing the hesitation on Emma's face, Bo asks, "Do you want to stay home with Ren?"_

 _Looking between her Momma and her Ren, Emma has a dilemma. She loves to watch Charley play soccer but she also loves her alone time with Ren. Emma knows the baby in Ren's belly is coming soon, alone time was going to become a cherished commodity._

 _Waving her arms impatiently, Charley hisses, "Come on Emma, let's go."_

 _Scolding her oldest, "Charley! Not so rough, show some patience and let your sister decide."_

 _Huffing and rolling her eyes, Charley stomps off down the hall towards the elevator, grumbling under breath. Watching her sister stomp off makes the decision for Emma, "Yes Momma. I want to stay home with Ren."_

 _Bo bends down to kiss the top of Emma's head, "Ok baby, Momma loves you, be good." Turning to Lauren, "We'll stop and get dinner on the way back. Any requests?"_

 _Grinning guiltily, "Cheesesteaks and pierogies?"_

 _Smirking, Lauren loves her cheesesteaks, "So predictable. But it'll have to be Joe's or Miz's. I'm not driving all the way around the earth." Leaning in to kiss her wife, "Not even for pregnant you."_

 _Emma pipes up, "Miz's! Their pierogies are the best!"_

 _Running her hand down Lauren's arm, "Miz's it is." Kissing Lauren's cheek, "Love you and we'll see you guys around 7."_

 _Smiling at her wife, "Love you too. And Bo… have fun with the grumpy teenager."_

 _Closing her eyes and groaning, "Yeah, lucky me." Leaning down, Bo kisses Lauren's about to burst baby bump, whispering, "I love you little Bug."_

 _Waving as she walks towards the elevator and an irritated teenager, Bo checks her pocket for her phone. Lauren was about to pop and she didn't want to leave her phone behind. Feeling the hard rectangle in her pocket, Bo plasters on her soccer Mom smile and waits for the elevator with a silent Charley._

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _Lauren's due date was around the corner and her back was killing her. She may have been slender in her pre-pregnancy life, but this baby was huge. Placing her hands on the small of her back Lauren grimaces as she turns to Emma, "How about we snuggle on the couch and watch a movie?"_

 _Unzipping her jacket, Emma shrugs, "Ummm, ok."_

 _Frowning as she takes Emma's jacket and hangs it by the door, "Did you want to do something else?" Snuggling on the couch was about all Lauren had in her._

 _Taking Lauren's hand, Emma leads them to the couch, "I was thinking you could explain how Bug," pointing to Lauren's belly, "is going to get out of there."_

 _Laughing out as she sits down on the couch, "You want an anatomy lesson?"_

 _Hopping up onto the couch and snuggling into the crook of Lauren's arm, resting her head on Lauren's shoulder, "Yes."_

 _Wrapping her arm around Emma, pulling her tight against her side, Lauren figures, why not._

 _Emma rests her hand on top of Lauren's belly, feeling Bug, the nickname she and Charley gave their soon to be born sister, moving around in her now tight quarters. Emma being Emma, she had started researching the whole baby thing as soon as Ren told her she was pregnant, but got stuck on how the baby comes out. She found several books in Lauren's office at Riverrun, the Atlas of Human Anatomy by Netter being her favorite. Finding the diagram of a pregnant female figure, she took the book to Charley with some questions._

 _ **Several months earlier**_

 _Pointing at the blown up circle of a newly formed fetus, Emma asked Charley, "Is this a bug?"_

 _Shaking her head and laughing, "That's a baby Emma. Well, it's the very beginning of a baby."_

" _Looks like a bug to me."_

 _Smiling as she and Emma sat on her bed, the open book on Charley's knees, "You looked like a bean."_

 _Scrunching up her forehead, "Is that why you and Momma and Ren call me Bean?"_

 _Nodding, "Yup."_

" _So this one," pointing at the picture, "looks like a bug. Does the baby Ren has in her belly look like a bug?"_

 _Shrugging her shoulders, "Maybe. We won't know until Ren has her next ultrasound in a couple of weeks." Looking at her little sister, Charley can see the wheels turning in Emma's brain; she has the same look Ren gets when she's solving a problem._

" _Until we know, can we call her Bug?"_

 _Charley thinks Bug is a perfect nick name. Wrapping her arms around her sister in a hug, "Alright Emma Bean, she'll be our Bug."_

 _ **Bo and Lauren's city apartment March 2023**_

 _Shaking her head as her mind comes back from the memory, Emma feels Bug moving under her tiny hand, "I can feel her moving Ren. Is she ready to come out?"_

 _Tilting her head back to lay on the back of the couch, "Mmmmm, maybe."_

" _How is she going to come out?"_

 _Placing her hand over Emma's on her belly, Lauren waits for another contraction. She'd been having them off and on all day. The last one right before Bo and Charley left. Not knowing if the contractions were the start of true labor or simply her uterus getting ready, Lauren kept it to herself._

 _Glancing up at her Ren, Emma whispers, "What are we waiting for?"_

 _Smiling down at Emma's upturned face, "A contraction."_

" _A what?"_

" _A contraction. When the time comes for Bug to be born, my uterus, where Bug is, will contract or squeeze tighter and tighter and you'll be able to feel it."_

 _Picking her head up off of Lauren's shoulder to look down at their hands on Lauren's belly, "What will it feel like?"_

" _My belly will get hard and you'll feel a little ripple." As Lauren speaks, she feels the beginnings of a contraction. Pressing her hand down on Emma's, "Here we go Emma."_

 _Emma feels a ripple and Lauren's belly gets hard. Her eyes wide in amazement, she looks up at her Ren, "What happens next?"_

 _What happened next was a phone call to Tamsin; Emma going downstairs to stay with the Steins; Charley getting a ride from one of her friends after the game and Bo rushing to meet Lauren and Tamsin at the hospital._

 **Riverrun May 10, 2033**

Munching on her burger, Maddie pushes Emma for more, "You skipped over the hospital part."

Shaking her head, Emma points to Bo at the end of the table, "Momma will have to tell that part. I wasn't there."

"Momma!"

Breaking off her conversation with Vex, Bo glares down the table at her youngest, "What Maddie? Why are you interrupting?"

"Sorry Momma. Emma and I are playing Tell Me and she said you need to tell the next part."

Raising her eyebrows, "Did she now?"

Nodding vigorously, "Yes."

Bo turns her glare to Emma who holds her hands up, "I didn't tell her to interrupt you Momma."

Glancing at Vex who shrugs his shoulders, "I'm ready for another adult beverage, luv. I'll leave you to your children." He stands, gathering his plate and Bo's and heads off to find the cooler filled with adult beverages.

Standing and moving to the other end of the table where her children are sitting, Bo settles in between them, an arm around each, "What story are we telling?"

Emma rolls her eyes, "I'll give you one guess."

Seeing the grin on Maddie's face, Bo knows what story, "Maddie's entrance into the world?"

Nodding her head and grinning, "Yup. Emma skipped over the actual birthing part."

Squeezing Maddie and Emma tighter to her, "Alright, but it's going to be the abridged version."

Pursing her lips, "But Momma."

Shaking her head, "It's that or nothing Bug. Your choice."

Wiping her hands on a napkin, "Ok. The abridged version."

Smiling as she begins her tale, "I got the call, luckily it was halftime of Charley's soccer game, Tamsin telling me she was at the hospital with Lauren and I needed to move my ass…"

 ** _Keystone General Hospital March 2023_**

 _Pacing in the hallway of the Labor and Delivery wing of Keystone General Hospital, Tamsin waits for Bo to answer, "Finally! I've called you like a hundred times."_

 _Frowning at her phone, "I'm at a soccer game, it's loud. What's up?"_

" _I am at the hospital with the Doc. She's gone into labor and you better move your ass to get here. I am NOT going to be her Lamaze partner."_

 _Shaking her head, "It's her first baby Tamsin, you've got hours before that happens."_

" _Humph. That's what Lauren said. Anyway, Emma is with the Steins and we're in room 321. We'll be waiting." And with that Tamsin ended the call leaving Bo to stare at a black screen._

 _Setting up a ride for Charley, Bo heads to the hospital._

 _XXXXXXXX_

 _Sitting in the chair with her feet kicked up on Lauren's hospital bed, Bo reads the latest text from Kenzi, a smile breaking across her face, "Kenzi says 'go get 'em Hotpants'"_

 _Lauren rolls her eyes, "I'm giving birth, who am I 'going to get'?"_

 _Bo shakes her head, Lauren was not in good humor, she'd been in active labor for about 5 hours now and at last check was dilated to 7 cm. The contractions were coming at regular intervals about 5 or so minutes apart and lasting for a minute each time. And that's not counting the 8 hours spent getting to 7 cm._

 _Bo sits up, placing her hand on Lauren's knee, "Can I get you anything? Want to go for a walk or something?"_

 _Grimacing as she rolls onto her side, "A walk might be a good idea."_

 _Helping Lauren to sit up and stand, holding her hand Bo guides her out of the room and into the hall._

" _I am, again, understanding Dyson in a whole new light. Now I know why he looked like a hurt puppy the whole time I was in labor with Charley. I feel so helpless. I can't do anything to make it better for you."_

 _Shuffling as she walks, Lauren grips Bo's hand tighter, "You being here is all I need." Rubbing her belly, "And for this baby to decide she's finally ready."_

 _Rubbing the small of Lauren's back, "She will. It'll be soon. I promise."_

 ** _Two Hours later_**

 _Lauren is back in the bed, going through the most intense part of labor: transition. Her contractions have been coming fast and hard for the last 30 minutes. Seeing Lauren shake and withdraw into herself is disconcerting to Bo, but she knows this phase is the beginning of the end and soon they'll get to meet their little Bug._

 _Alternately squeezing Bo's hand and letting go, Lauren is inside her head, going through what comes next. She's had very little time to rest between contractions and she is feeling quite a bit of fatigue. She knows her body has released adrenaline to get through this part of the labor process causing her to shake and alternate between wanting Bo's touch and wanting her to go away. She's fully dilated and the pushing will commence shortly._

 **Riverrun May 2033**

"And then you popped out, the doctor held you up for Ren and me to see, clipped off your umbilical cord, placed you on Ren's belly and asked me if I wanted to cut the cord."

Taking Bo's hand, Maddie makes an observation, "Wow Momma, when you said abridged, you weren't kidding." Rubbing Bo's hand between hers, "What happened next?"

…Meanwhile, upstairs in what used to be Bo's Riverrun studio…

Charley takes a deep breath as she turns to Dana, "I have been…."

Taking two steps forward, Dana blurts out, "Yes, Charley. Yes I will go out with you, yes I will date you." Running her hands through her shoulder length, blond hair, "Hell, I'd probably even marry you if you asked."

Grinning from ear to ear and reaching out to take Dana's hands, "Would you?"

Looking down at their hands, Dana sees the scar on Charley's middle finger where she sliced it open on an Exacto knife working on a science project with Byron in the 10th grade. She smiles as she remembers how hysterical her mother was when she saw the blood in the kitchen, Charley cooling sitting at the table, finger wrapped in a bloody napkin, like nothing happened. Mrs. Stein said Charley was truly the daughter of a doctor. "Would I?"

"Marry me? I think Tamsin is ordained, I can get her up here in less than 10 seconds with a text."

Laughing, "Let's get you through your intern year first. Besides, you might not even like me; I'm moody, messy, usually stubborn, vastly independent and sometimes mean."

Closing the small gap between them, Charley drops Dana's hands to circle them around her waist, pulling her close, "All things I find terribly attractive and sexy."

"I might have to question your taste."

Grinning, "I taste fine, wanna give it a try?"

Shaking her head and smiling, "Just kiss me Charley."

…..Back at the pool….

"My hands shaking as I took the scissors from the doctor to cut the cord…"

 _ **Keystone General Hospital March 2023**_

 _Her hands shaking, Bo takes the offered scissors and snips the cord. Leaving the baby on Lauren's belly, the nurse dries her off, placing a warm towel over her and a cap on her head. Overcome with emotion, Bo lets her tears fall as she rests a hand on their Little Bug, the other on the nape of Lauren's neck. Gently pulling Lauren to her, she presses their lips together, their joyful tears mingling on their cheeks, each whispering I love you against the other's lips._

 _Foreheads together, Bo sighs, "She's so beautiful Lauren."_

" _She's beautiful like you Bo. Madeline Everret Dennis, our Bug."_

 _Smiling as wide as she ever had, her dimples prominently on display, "Our Bug."_

 **As always, thank you for reading, Misnglinke**


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